The Bozeman weekly chronicle., 1887-03-23

GROUND PLAN OF CLKvELAND's HOUSE.
extended view than that from the verandaA
Back of the house there Is a small barn and
a few outbuildings, and 1t seems to me that
the whole of the buildings on the estate could
be erected to-day for less than q, 600 Pres
ident Cleveland paid $2l 500 for the property,
and 1t Is Of such a nature that it will be
much more valuable than this at the close Of
his administration. The country home Of
Secretary Whitney, which is not far of, Is
now worth $50, 600, and he bought it for $780,
0O0 The locality is q fashionable one, and
the drive past these houses is nightly filed
with the carriages Of statesmen, millionaires
and other people of Washington society.
The president is to have possession of the
house, understand, about the 18th of June,
but it will be some time after this before he
will he able to get into it. When he has i'm
proved it, 1t will compare favorably with the
homes of the presidents Of the past.
Washington got Mount Vernon by inherit
ance, and it was common chal ge Of his
enemies, when he was president, that he was
anxious to have the national capital located
at Washington that it might increase the
value of his property. Mount Vernon lies
sixteen miles below Washington city, and
Washington's wife owned, at this same timo,
the Arlington estate, which is just across
the river Washington came to Mount
Vernon shortly after he was married and
his house then consisted of but eight rooms
He improved the house greatly after he be-
came noted. and at his death it was in the
condition in which it exists to-day. 1t Is
situated on a little hill on the banks Of the
| Potomac, and the porch gives fine
| view Of the river When Washington
| was an old man he rsed TO walk
| up and down this porch o exercise for
hours at time, and he entertained here In
grand style. The rooms Of the interior are
rectangular in shape, and one or two Of them
contain fine marble mantels They are plain,
b~wever, in comparison with our modern
Louses, and the Mount Vernon ma nsion will
not compare With some of the couatry resi-
dences Of to-day. The house is kept now in
the same condition it was in when Washing
ton lived, and it is visited by thousands
every year Washington's estate 1t Mount
Vernon comprised g. 600 acres, and v mad ten
miles of river front When he die he left
fortune of 100000, and owneo western
lands and bank stocks to large amount in
different places. His live stock at Mount
Vernon was valued at $4,000, without in
cluding the slaves, and he had no debts tc
speak of
John Adams lived at Quincy, not fal
away from Boston. He was rather eco
nomical in his habits, and he owned q
pleasant little house there. He was a pool
lawyer when he was married, and suct
property as he owned was the fruit of hh
own labors. His wife, Abigail, was I
preachers daughter, and brought him moth
ing to speak Of He was poor when he lef
the presidency, and he did not leave mncl
to his son, John Quincy Adams, who, Ii
after years, lived in this same house Johl
Quincy Adams did better in the none,
way. He was in the employ of the govern
ment for nearly fifty years, and he receive
during this time about 100000 In salaries
He owned house just opposite the Ebbii
house in Washington, and he was the onl
president who kept a house Of his own ope
at the same time that he lived in the Whit
House This Washington house was sold
one Of the Washington millionaires recent.
and it is now being turned into fusaionab
stores. Yankee frugality has made Il